How Do I make this texture look right ingame?

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
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So I was told basically to remove $blendmodulate so the texture would look the same in hammer as it does in game. I did this and it didn't work. What can I do? because in game these blended textures look terrible.

I'll post my screenies

2drw3nb.png



I'm really desperate here I can not have these textures looking like this in game.
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
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Nov 14, 2009
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So I was told basically to remove $blendmodulate so the texture would look the same in hammer as it does in game.
Don't you mean "look the same in-game as it does in Hammer"? And either way, some kind of $blendmodulate texture is pretty much expected; you just haven't found one that looks good yet.

As for why the in-game appearance hasn't changed, maybe you didn't restart the game or run mat_reloadallmaterials since you edited the file?
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
Don't you mean "look the same in-game as it does in Hammer"? And either way, some kind of $blendmodulate texture is pretty much expected; you just haven't found one that looks good yet.

As for why the in-game appearance hasn't changed, maybe you didn't restart the game or run mat_reloadallmaterials since you edited the file?


Yes I want the blending in hammer to look the same in game. The in game blending is so ugly, and looks NOTHING like the blending in hammer.

I loaded my map in tf2, sv_cheats 1, mat_reloadallmaterials, and got
an't use cheat command mat_reloadallmaterials in multiplayer, unless the server has sv_cheats set to 1.
] sv_cheats 1
] mat_reloadallmaterials
Error in .VMT file: error parsing vector element "$color" in "$color"
Redownloading all lightmaps

(not sure what that is for but It's the first time I've gotten the error) Anyways it didn't work. I really need this figured out. There has to be some way to make it look like it does in hammer. I've never had this issue before..
 

YM

LVL100 YM
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Dec 5, 2007
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1) The blend in hammer uses no modulate
2) The blend in hammer is the ugly one, not the game one
3) You can't get blend modulates working in hammer, hammer is old and shit.
4) Blend modulates look infinitely better than the smooth blends hammer gives, you just have to learn how to control your alpha for good looking transitions. Valve's (and many custom ones derrived from Valve's) grass textures look best with really sharp transitions between grass and dirt or else you get that odd blotchy look. It's great for a sharp transition, but terrible for a smooth one.


You are approaching this "problem" from entirely the wrong angle.
 

wareya

L420: High Member
Jun 17, 2012
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No, I think they're right. For someone who isn't going for the next great art map, removing blend modulation is a fantastic way to make the blends look more like they want to. Sure, they could make their own blend modulation, but that takes a novel kind of effort that isn't appropriate unless they know exactly what they want.
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
1) The blend in hammer uses no modulate
2) The blend in hammer is the ugly one, not the game one
3) You can't get blend modulates working in hammer, hammer is old and shit.
4) Blend modulates look infinitely better than the smooth blends hammer gives, you just have to learn how to control your alpha for good looking transitions. Valve's (and many custom ones derrived from Valve's) grass textures look best with really sharp transitions between grass and dirt or else you get that odd blotchy look. It's great for a sharp transition, but terrible for a smooth one.


You are approaching this "problem" from entirely the wrong angle.

I appreciate some of the things you said but I don't need you telling me my opinion is wrong. I find it to look better in hammer, so do various other people I've showed the pictures to. I don't know how anyone expects me to blend in hammer and know what its going to look like in game if its going to look like this. I've been told by people that I should be able to make it look like how it does in hammer, and that is what I want.
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
No, I think they're right. For someone who isn't going for the next great art map, removing blend modulation is a fantastic way to make the blends look more like they want to. Sure, they could make their own blend modulation, but that takes a novel kind of effort that isn't appropriate unless they know exactly what they want.

What do I do to make it not look like that? removing the modulate in vtfedit didn't remove it like I was told by people on facepunch it would :( Also I'm sorry for the double post, it won't let me quote two people.
 

wareya

L420: High Member
Jun 17, 2012
493
191
Removing the modulate in the vmt file should definitely remove the effect, are you sure tf2 reloaded the material? (e.g. by restarting it)
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
Removing the modulate in the vmt file should definitely remove the effect, are you sure tf2 reloaded the material? (e.g. by restarting it)

Yeah I restarted tf2(achually tf2 crashed from conga taunts) and hammer was restarted as well. Nothing changed. Here is what the script looks like now

"WorldVertexTransition"
{
"$basetexture" "egypt\sand_floor_05"
"$basetexture2" "egypt/grass_07"
"$surfaceprop" "sand"
"$surfaceprop2" "grass"
}


What do I do? :(
 

wareya

L420: High Member
Jun 17, 2012
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i would assume that it's named the wrong thing or it's in the wrong place. what's the exact directory and filename of the vmf?
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
i would assume that it's named the wrong thing or it's in the wrong place. what's the exact directory and filename of the vmf?

the VTF i edited is called sand_grass_blend_02.vmt

The VMF in hammer is egypt/sand_grass_blend_02

the directory they are in is

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\materials\egypt

both the vmt and the vtf have the same script (sorry I don't really know the lingo well so I hope I have it right. I sorta just learned with trial and error)
 
Last edited:

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
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Nov 2, 2007
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You are trying to edit a stock texture, which isn't going to work right because you shouldn't be overriding them. You should be copying and renaming the VMT to make a custom texture, which can then be edited and packed with the map.

On the subject of which is better/right... the reason we say the modulate is the correct way is because something like grass does not fade. Non-modulated blending fades out, you have grass that is translucent at varying amounts... which is just wrong. Modulate allows to have the grass simply STOP much sharper, while not being a straight line like a brush joint.

The rocks in your image actually do look wrong modulated, because that modulate is for the rubble-like rocks and not the cliff. The grass at the bottom is just using a modulate that is meant to pretty up a hard transition, not make a fade.
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
You are trying to edit a stock texture, which isn't going to work right because you shouldn't be overriding them. You should be copying and renaming the VMT to make a custom texture, which can then be edited and packed with the map.

On the subject of which is better/right... the reason we say the modulate is the correct way is because something like grass does not fade. Non-modulated blending fades out, you have grass that is translucent at varying amounts... which is just wrong. Modulate allows to have the grass simply STOP much sharper, while not being a straight line like a brush joint.

The rocks in your image actually do look wrong modulated, because that modulate is for the rubble-like rocks and not the cliff. The grass at the bottom is just using a modulate that is meant to pretty up a hard transition, not make a fade.

I created the new vmt file, but I cannot create a vtf file to go along with it. I would just copy the original sand_grass_blend_02.vtf and rename it to go along with the new vmt file but I cannot find sand_grass_blend_02.vtf anywhere
 

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
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Nov 2, 2007
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You don't need to change it. Your new VMT can reference the original VTFs. There is no sand_grass_blend_02.vtf because, as the stuff you pasted shows, the two VTFs it is using are sand_floor_05 and grass_07.
 

wareya

L420: High Member
Jun 17, 2012
493
191
the vmt name doesn't have to match the vtf name, it's just a convention. just rename your vmf file and the self-referencing line.

also, vtfs and vmts are stored in separate vpks.

i don't think tf2 loads materials from dir anymore, except custom stuff. you'll want to put it in
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\custom\mymapname\materials\egypt
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
You don't need to change it. Your new VMT can reference the original VTFs. There is no sand_grass_blend_02.vtf because, as the stuff you pasted shows, the two VTFs it is using are sand_floor_05 and grass_07.

I don't understand what the issue is then. It doesn't appear in hammer and yes, I restarted hammer.

I put the texture where you typically put custom textures. I do custom textures all the time so I know that it is in the right area.
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
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So I should just rename sand_grass_blend_02.vmt into custon_sand_grass_blend.vmt and leave it in the egypt folder? And as fore the self-reference line, I do not know which line that is and what would I replace?
 

A Boojum Snark

Toraipoddodezain Mazahabado
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Nov 2, 2007
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You don't need to leave it in egypt. If you only have a VMT that is referencing stock VTFs, it does not matter where the VMT is. I do not know why it wouldn't be working.
 

wareya

L420: High Member
Jun 17, 2012
493
191
You need to move it to something under tf/custom/somefoldername/materials for TF2 to load it.
 

DisruptedHunter

L2: Junior Member
Aug 30, 2009
89
1
You don't need to leave it in egypt. If you only have a VMT that is referencing stock VTFs, it does not matter where the VMT is. I do not know why it wouldn't be working.

Sorry guys, I have no idea what you guys want me to do. Can you explain it with steps or a simpler way?...I am self taught, so stuff you'd expect me to know I don't understand like everyone else.